Dean's Monthly Memo, May 2014

NEWS

Summer and Fall Registration

The registration period for Summer and Fall terms is approaching. Students may register for Summer 2014 on May 8 and 9 and for Fall 2014 during the week of May 12. Students are assigned specific registration times during these periods.

Your Feedback Is Needed

The Academic Advising Support Center is going through Program Review this year and needs feedback from the A&S faculty advisors we work with. Please take 5-10 minutes to fill out the survey at this link. Your responses are anonymous. However, if you would like us to follow up with you, there is a space to provide your name and email address at the end of the survey. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Kate Elias at x2397 or by email. Thank you for providing feedback.

SU Joins Liberal Arts Consortium

Seattle University joined the Washington Consortium for the Liberal Arts, an association that promotes the value of a liberal arts education. Dean David Powers has represented the university since the early planning stages. More here.

Now on Video

An interview with Philosophy Professor Jason Wirth and video at this link.

MNPL Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Join SU President Stephen Sundborg, SJ, as we celebrate our commitment to providing leaders for a just and humane world at the 20th anniversary of the Master of Nonprofit Leadership Program. May 21, 5:30 p.m. Details at this link.

Celebrating Steen Halling

Psychology Professor Steen Halling will be retiring from Seattle University in June, and you are invited to two very special events.

On May 16, Steen Halling will give his "Last Lecture," his opportunity to speak on a topic he is passionate about and leave students with some words of wisdom. His presentation, The Phenomenon as Muse: On Being Open to “Friendly Invasion,” takes place on Friday, May 16, from 12 - 2 p.m. in the LeRoux Room, Student Center 160. Socializing begins at 12 noon, and the lecture will be given at 12:30, with a reception after.

On May 27, a university-wide celebration is set for 4-6 p.m. in Casey Commons.

Please join faculty, administrators, alumni, students, and friends as we acknowledge the tremendous contributions Steen Halling has made to the discipline of psychology, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Seattle University as a whole.

Global Awareness Program Now Accepting Applications

The Global Awareness Program, open to all students in all colleges, is a specialization certificate in which students combine academics, co-curricular activities, service learning and, possibly study abroad into a cohesive program that will get them up to speed on our dynamic changing world and give them the tools to become engaged global citizens. This two-year cohort program, designed for 15-20 students, includes a series of 1 credit classes that introduce them to major global issues. They take 15-credits of a wide range of elective courses designed to deepen these introductions and conclude their academic program with a Senior Synthesis that integrates and reflects on these experiences. Please encourage your students to apply at this link.

Try-Athlon Planned for May 26

Students in the Masters in Sport Administration and Leadership program are hosting an indoor “try-athlon” on Memorial Day, May 26, at 8 a.m.. Funds from the event will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project which provides awareness and assistance to injured service members. Designed to be less strenuous than traditional triathlons, Trying For Troops focuses on participants “try-ing” a triathlon instead of competing each interval in an intense, competitive environment. The event consists of a 10-minute timed pool swim, 10-minute timed spin bike and 10-minute timed treadmill run. In between each, there will be a 5-minute transition period. Details and registration here.

APPLAUSE

Faculty

Film Studies Professor Georg Koszulinski was awarded the Best Documentary prize for "Last Stop, Flamingo," the final part of his Florida trilogy. More here.

History Professor Heath Spencer presents "A Tale of Two Theologians (in the Third Reich): Some Reflections on the Nature of Good and Evil" as the Naef Scholars "Last Lecture." More here.

English Professor Mary-Antoinette Smith has been selected to participate in a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Seminar titled “Performing Dickens: Oliver Twist and Great Expectations on Page, Stage, and Screen” at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The book “Psychotherapy for the Other: Getting Levinas into the Room,” edited by Psychology faculty Kevin Krycka, Geroge Kunz, and George Sayre, will be published next year by Duquesne University Press. Most of the authors are alumni from the Master of Arts in Psychology program.

Communication Professor Sonora Jha penned an op ed, "How Suicide and Politics Mix in India," in the New York Times at this link. In addition, she gave the keynote address at the People for Progress in India fundraising event, held on Mercer Island in April.

English Professor John Bean gave the keynote address, “Faculty-friendly Problem-Based Writing Assignments to Enhance Students’ Growth as Disciplinary Thinkers” at the University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference: Opportunities and New Directions 2014.

Modern Languages and Cultures Professor Gabriella Gutierrez y Muhs was named to the "Elite Eight" in education by Dr. Walter Greason in the Times Herald. Greason is the Executive Director of the International Center for Metropolitan Growth. More here. She also presented in San Antonio at the American Literature Association and the Latina/o Literature and Culture and Society: The Latina/o Literary Landscape, and in New York City at Columbia University and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

On April 23, approximately 60 scholars from universities across China visited Seattle University’s campus to hear two lectures by Philosophy Professor Daniel Dombrowski. These scholars were sponsored by The Institute for Postmodern Development of China headed by Zhihe Wang of the Center for Process Studies. More at this link.

Staff

Graham Pruss, Center for Strategic Communications, received a National Science Foundation fellowship to further his research on the growing phenomenon of people living in their cars. More here.

Students

Senior Lindsey Walker received the Best Essay prize at the Northwest Undergraduate Conference on Literature for "Castoffs." The annual competition attracted students from more than 25 colleges and universities. More here.

More than 50 undergraduates participated in the Association of Writers and Writing Programs annual conference, held this winter in Seattle. Creative Writing Professor Susan Meyers connected students with writers involved in all genres of fiction and nonfiction as well as film, poetry, and theater. More here.

Junior Erica Snyder-Drummond received the first-place award in the Imagining the World: Study Abroad and International Photography Competition for her photo "In the Mosque," taken in Casablanca. Second place went to Brian Cunningham, class of 2015, for his photo “La Doña Maria,” taken in Zinacantán, Chiapas, Mexico. and third place was awarded to Felix Hidajat, class of 2014, for his photo “The Champion,” taken in Siena, Italy. More here.

Alumni

James Norris, Master of Arts in Psychology '09, enlisted the aid of fellow alumni to establish the Matumaini Counseling and Community Center to meet the growing need for services in south Seattle. More here.

"The Negro Passion Play," a dramatic depiction of the Passion of Jesus Christ within the context of the American Civil Rights Movement, was presented in April. The play was the brainchild of Tyrone Brown, '10, MFA in Arts Leadership. More here.

Personnel

Faculty Promotions

Congratulations to these members of our faculty on their promotions:

Randall Horton received tenure and a promotion to Associate Professor.

Quinton Morris received tenure and a promotion to Associate Professor.